Crab Day, Cate Le Bon’s fourth LP—and one of our favorite albums of 2016—wasn’t a concept album about crabs, so it’s reasonable to assume that the upcoming Rock Pool EP isn’t about a literal pool. And that seems to be a major focus of Le Bon’s music and videos in their various forms: taking straightforward subjects—like museums, or love—and abstracting them until you’re not really sure what the words are supposed to mean anymore. Part of the benefit of having a Welsh perspective on the English language, it seems.
All that said, the new video for the song “Rock Pool,” which we have the pleasure of premiering here, does indeed feature a few different types of rock pools. Before you put your guard down, though, know that the setting is just the basest detail that you could note about this video (other details worth noting include a gigantic pair of scissors; high heels worn on the rocks; a hat in a starring role). Le Bon, along with director Casey Raymond (who also directed the “Wonderful” video), have made a little puzzle of symbols and clues here that probably can’t be totally figured out, but are fun to try and understand anyway. (Like, is it a “rock pool” because you might describe Le Bon’s music as a murky mixture of different types of rock and roll? Who knows, man.) Check it out below.
The Rock Pool EP is out January 27 via Drag City.
